Home prices are falling again nearly nationwide, but the pace of sales is starting to pick up in recent months. Overall, it seems clear that the worst of the housing debacle has passed. It's just that the U.S. remains on a slow, grinding track back to housing health.

After a revolt by unhappy Democrats, the tax bill has finally passed. The Obama tax cut compromise extends Bush-era tax reductions on income, capital gains and dividends through 2012. But there were also some changes. Here's how the tax bill affects you.

While most people support extending at least some of the George W. Bush-era tax cuts due to expire this year, a new Gallup/USA Today survey finds that Americans are deeply divided on which cuts should continue -- and for how long.

Mortgage applications fell 1.4% in the week ending Sept. 17, dragged down by a decline in the number of applications for loans to purchase houses.
Applications for loans to purchase a home dropped 3.3% from a week earlier on a seasonally adjusted basis, The Mortgage Bankers Association said. Applications for loans to refinance a home dropped 0.9%.

Luxury homebuilder Toll Brothers (TOL) reported earnings of16 cents per diluted share for the third quarter of fiscal 2010, compared with a loss of $2.93 per share in the third quarter of fiscal 2009.
Revenue for the quarter was $454 million, down from $461 million a year earlier, the company said in a statement. Pre-tax write-downs fell to $12.5 million, from $115 million a year earlier.

The U.S. Senate on Wednesday unanimously passed a bill to extend federal homebuyer tax credits for three months. The House of Representatives approved the legislation Tuesday. Buyers now have until Sept. 30 to qualify for up to $8,000 in tax breaks.

Senate and House negotiators reached agreement early Friday morning on the most sweeping overhaul of financial regulation since the Great Depression. It includes a version of the Volcker rule, creates a consumer financial protection watchdog, and limits derivatives trading.

While the U.S. real-estate market is looking up, owners of the costliest homes are suffering the biggest declines in value. Prices in Aspen, Colo., have plunged 20% to 40% as the recession has shaved a whopping $1 million off the median price.